Aspen real estate agent wins lottery drawing

ASPEN – The local winner of $250,000 in an Oct. 26 Mega Millions lottery drawing has been identified.

The winner is Natalie Blanchard, according to the Colorado Lottery Corp. She is an agent with Aspen Real Estate Co. She bought the lucky $1 ticket at Clark’s Market in the days leading up to the drawing.

Blanchard declined a request for an interview with The Aspen Times on Wednesday. Her company’s website states that she is originally from France and that she has lived in Aspen for more than 20 years.

The winning numbers in the Oct. 26 drawing were 4, 15, 24, 36 and 40, and the megaball was 44. No one won the $21 million jackpot in the drawing, which requires a ticket correctly displaying all five numbers plus the megaball.

For correctly having the first five numbers without the megaball, Blanchard’s prize was worth a quarter-million dollars.

Mega Millions drawings take place on Tuesdays and Fridays. Friday’s jackpot will be worth $26 million. The last jackpot was won on Nov. 2, and the full prize was worth $32 million, for which a cash value of $24 million was available to the winner.